By Parker McKenzie
Every weekday, volunteers from Knox Infolink put on breakfast in Boronia where members of the community can receive a warm meal, a cup of tea or coffee and stay for a chat.
Thanks to a $7,700 grant from Australian Post, they’ll soon be launching a gentle fitness program alongside the breakfast for guests to get active once a week.
Knox InfoLink Centre Manager Denise Budge said guests who attend the breakfast regularly had requested the exercise program and they were excited to be able to offer it to them.
“The breakfast program is primarily funded through the Boronia Revitalization Board. I applied for a grant to run a five-day-per-week community breakfast program that targets those that isolated, disadvantaged, homeless or hungry,” she said.
“The key thing about was having it five days a week because there are certainly meal programs available, but not a breakfast program in our local area.”
The Movement for Mental Health and Wellbeing will be a weekly exercise class for community members, running on a yet-to-be-decided weekday.
Ms Budge is on the committee of the Boronia Revitalization Board, which is chaired by Bayswater MP Jackson Taylor.
“It’s great to hear Knox Infolink have been successful in getting a grant from Australia Post, expanding on the successful Community Breakfast Program, proudly funded by the State Labor Government,” Mr Taylor said.
“The whole team at Knox Infolink do fantastic work in supporting those that need it most in our community and I can’t wait to see this next success.”
The Community Breakfast Program is held from 8pm to 10pm at the Boronia Progress Hall on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and at Saint Paul’s Church, Boronia on Wednesdays.
Ms Budge said the breakfast program engages with those who are hard to reach to build up a level of trust.
“Food might have been the hook when they come in for a meal, but once we get to know them we unpack what the underlying issues are and then we try to support them through a caseworker,”
“This isn’t making it a whole package and it to the guests that we’re listening to what they’ve said that they want.”
Knox Infolink was one of 70 community organisations around Australia to receive a grant of up to $10,000.
Australia Post Executive General Manager of community, sustainability and stakeholder engagement Tanny Mangos said the organisation was delighted to support projects making a real difference to health and wellbeing.
“These grants help enhance community connections, and we know that when we connect with others, we feel better. We also know that this often results in improved mental health outcomes, and we want to support the organisations that are helping make this happen,” she said.
“The continued impact of the pandemic, financial pressures, isolation, and the constant demands of everyday life can all impact on mental wellbeing.”
Ms Budge said thank you to Australia Post for giving Knox Infolink the opportunity to expand the program.
“I’d also like to thank the Department of Jobs, Regions and Precincts for the overall funding of the Breakfast Program,” Ms Budge said.
“It is meeting the needs of many people that are struggling at the moment.”
The full list of Australia Post’s 2022 Community Grants recipients can be found at auspost.com.au/grants.
